The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and more specifically to a semiconductor device having a light emitting capability and/or a light receiving capability. Further, the present invention relates to a circuit substrate for supporting such a semiconductor device as the above. Still further, the present invention relates to a combination of the semiconductor device and a storage receptacle for collectively holding a plurality of the semiconductor devices.
FIG. 20 and FIG. 21 show a prior art semiconductor device. This semiconductor device X is a light emitting diode (LED), and includes a first lead 100, a second lead 200, a semiconductor chip 300 as a light emitting element, a connecting wire W, and a protective package 400.
The semiconductor chip 300 is placed at an inner end 100a of the first lead 100. The semiconductor chip 300 has an upper surface 330 electrically connected with an inner end 200a of the second lead 200 via a wire W. The protective package 400 is made of a transparent resin such as an epoxy resin, and completely covers the semiconductor chip 300 and the connecting wire W. Further, the protective package 400 partially covers the first and the second leads 100, 200. In FIGS. 20 and 21, the inner portion of the first lead 100 covered by the protective package 400 is indicated by numeral code 110 whereas the outer portion of the first lead 100 extending out of the protective package 400 is indicated by numeral code 111. Like the first lead 100, the second lead 200 also has an inner portion 220 covered by the protective package 400 and an outer portion 221 extending out of the protective package 400.
As shown in FIG. 21, the inner portion 110 of the first lead 100 extends straightly whereas the outer portion 111 is bent. The outer portion 111 of the first lead 100 has a free end 111a flush with a bottom surface of the protective package 400. The second lead also has the same constitution as the first lead, and thus has a free end 221a flush with the bottom surface of the protective package 400.
The circuit substrate 5 is provided with pads 52a, 52b for establishing electrical connection with the semiconductor device X. The semiconductor device X is mounted on the circuit substrate 5, with the free ends 111a, 221a connected with the pads 52a 52b respectively.
The prior art semiconductor device X is inconvenient in the following points: Specifically, the semiconductor device X is mounted on the circuit substrate 5 via the leads 100, 200 which are bent as described above. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 21, the entire protective package 400 of the semiconductor device X comes above the circuit substrate 5. This leads to a problem that a dimension Dh between a top Ap of the semiconductor device X and an upper surface of the circuit substrate 5 becomes large.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device capable of solving or at least reduce the problem described above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a circuit substrate for mounting such a semiconductor device as the above.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a combination of a plurality of the semiconductor devices and a storage receptacle for collectively holding these semiconductor devices.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor chip; a protective package covering the semiconductor chip; a first lead conducting to the semiconductor chip, including an inner portion covered by the protective package and at least one outer portion extending out of the protective package; a second lead conducting to the semiconductor chip, including an inner portion covered by the protective package and at least one outer portion extending out of the protective package; wherein each of the outer portions of the first lead and the second lead is flat.
Preferably, the outer portion of the first lead and the outer portion of the second lead extend in a same plane.
Further, the inner portion and the outer portion of the first lead, and the inner portion and the outer portion of the second lead may extend in a same plane.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the first lead and the second lead has a plurality of outer portions extending out of the protective package, and the outer portions extend in a same plane.
Preferably, the protective package includes at least a pair of opposed side surfaces, and each of the side surfaces has a first slanted portion and a second slanted portion.
The first slanted portion and the second slanted portion may be flat and meet with each other at a predetermined angle.
The semiconductor chip is a light emitting element for example. Also, the semiconductor chip is a light receiving element for example.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the semiconductor device further comprises an additional semiconductor chip, a third lead conducting to the additional semiconductor chip, and a fourth lead conducting to the additional semiconductor chip. The third lead includes an inner portion covered by the protective package and a flat outer portion extending out of the protective package, and the fourth lead includes an inner portion covered by the protective package and a flat outer portion extending out of the protective package.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a circuit substrate for mounting a semiconductor device including a protective package and flat leads extending out of the protective package. The substrate comprises: a main surface formed with a predetermined wiring pattern; a plurality of connecting pads formed in the main surface for conduction to the leads of the semiconductor device; and a through hole corresponding to a shape of the protective package.
Preferably, the connecting pads are disposed around the through hole.
Preferably, the main surface mounted with the semiconductor device is laminated with a coating member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a combination of a plurality of semiconductor devices and a storage receptacle for storing the same is provided: each of these semiconductor devices includes an upper surface having a predetermined function, and a bottom surface away from the upper surface, whereas the storage receptacle includes a carrier member having a plurality of recesses opening upward, and a covering tape having an adhesive surface attached to the carrier member, and the semiconductor device is housed in the recess with the bottom surface facing upward.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the upper surface of the semiconductor device is formed with a light-condensing portion.
Preferably, each of the recesses includes a larger space and a smaller space.
Preferably, the recesses are formed longitudinally of the carrier member at a predetermined interval.